"#Queers" in the Pool Again

The Adams Pool used to be a literal swimming pool as well as a place of free expression for students of all sexualities. In the 1990s, the Pool was transformed into a theater, and tonight, on National Coming Out Day, “#Queers” will explore modern queer relationships, a nod to the Pool’s promiscuous past. This student-written comedy, consisting of two one-acts, will run until Sunday.

Michael Shayan ’14, the play’s writer and director, is conscious of the lasting significance of the space. “In our play there is a sex club scene, which is sort of a modern revisiting of this space, and of queer space more generally at Harvard.”

The day of the release, though coincidental, also holds importance for the show. “I think it’s kind of apt that the show is opening on the same day as Coming Out Day,” actor Alexander M. Willis ’14 says. “One of the themes the show explores is being comfortable with your sexuality and what being gay means.”

The first one-act, “Don’t Say Gay,” is a satire about sensational claims over homosexuality—the act depicts an interaction between talk show host Phyllis (Mariah T. Brown ’15) and her crazed assistant Dan (Gus A. Mayopoulos ’15). The second one-act, “Kisses,” depicts a frustrated love triangle between Shawn (Michael S. Gellman ’17), who is in love with Matt (Willis), who already has a girlfriend, Lindsay (Karoline K. Xu ’16).

Shayan says that the show has no larger political agenda, and Willis adds that the production promises to be very funny. “I was really excited about how outrageous I thought the play would be...because I know Michael is a really funny guy,” Willis says.

Humor aside, Shayan wants his audience to take away a larger idea from the show. “I want people to think about the ways they relate with each other and to consider the games that we play in our relationships,” Shayan says. “It’s about love and heartbreak. Love is hard and we deal with it.”